Historic Leuven, the part within the second city wall, has about 35,000 inhabitants (not counting the 30,000 students),
and the suburbs another 60,000. It is located centrally, less than 30 minutes driving from the EU headquarters in
Brussels. From Brussels you can reach Paris or London in 90 or 150 minutes. The main language of the Leuven region is Dutch,
but almost everybody also speaks English, French, and usually at least a sprinkling of German.
KULeuven’s exact-science Faculties are located on a US-style campus, just outside the former city walls in the
beautiful former castle and parks of the Dukes of Arenberg. But its alpha-science colleges are scattered,
Oxbridge-style, all over the medieval core of the town. You will just love Leuven: it is cozy and pedestrian-friendly,
full of beauty and history, a gastronome’s delight, and vibrant with modern life.
Here’s two testimonials plucked from the Web:
Nowadays Leuven is a real "student city" from October until June, sporting one of the liveliest bar
scenes in Belgium. The university is considered one of the best in Europe. Leuven is also well known
for its summer rock festival Marktrock.
(http://www.city-travel-guide.co.uk/travel-guide/leuven-louvain-travel-guide.html#about-leuven-louvain)
The centre of Leuven is transforming into a stadium the week [of the] festival. […] The square was
full of people having a bop. I had a couple of beers (a Hoegaarten, a Leffe and a Palm).
It was nice atmosphere and looked great. The olde city hall illuminated in the background, with its
ornate 16th(?) Century sculptures and the regional flags unfurled. The scene seemed very
different from England or America. Example, the combination of crowds, music, and alcohol
in England would have attracted a hundred police (here I saw 2) and a brawl. In the US, it would just
have been illegal to play loud music in the streets after 8pm !
(http://blog.sagar.org/archives/2004_08_01_ukdiveboy_archive.html#109338220427484048)
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